The Playboy Prince( The Royal Book 1)

CHAPTER 11

Chapter Eleven

Kenna

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I don’t know how I managed to fall asleep, but I did sometime in the night. I awoke in the morning with the same anger boiling in my blood.

“Get up, sleepy head. You need to be at the palace in half an hour,” Linda said, trying to take the sheets from me.

“I don’t want to go,” I protested.

“You have to. You don’t want the police knocking on the door because you failed to present at a royal summons. Do you?”

Did I? A part of me would really have liked to have seen Nick trying to explain why I didn’t show up. I would tell the police to just ask him and he would have to pardon me.

After all, I could still go to the media.

I could be like all the other girls he’d used and abused in the tabloids. I could tell my story about how amazing he was in bed and how he’d never spoken to me before or after. My story would be even better than theirs because of my position in his wife selection project.

But I knew I never would.

My privacy would also be shattered and I didn’t want to have that story haunt me for the rest of my life. Being known as another notch on the prince’s bedpost wasn’t exactly my ambition in life.

Linda made sure I got up and dressed, she also placed me into a cab so I could get to the palace on time. She waved me off, telling me to have a good time. Poor Aunt Linda, she had no idea that I would never end up as the next Princess of Ethania.

This morning’s palace activity was a morning tea held in the conservatory. It was a massive room with doors that ran down one side, all of which were completely open to the outside deck. Tables of six were dotted around the place, all with large platters full of sweet treats.

Considering I’d skipped breakfast, my mouth started watering. As much as I wanted to dive in, I had to remember my manners – the queen was in attendance with us.

I picked a table and joined the ladies there, noticing Paula to my right. “Good morning,” she said politely, neatly laying her napkin over her lap. She had been placed next to Nick at dinner last night, did that mean that she the front runner in the competition?

I doubted I was.

“Dinner was so lovely last night, wasn’t it?” she continued. She was almost polite to a fault. She would make a good princess.

“It was fine,” I replied. I was the first to grab something to eat – a strawberry mousse with chocolate biscuit base.

“And here’s our prince.” It took a moment for her words to sink in, about two seconds before Nick joined our table.

“Ladies, so lovely to see you all today,” he said happily. He looked around the table but refused to meet my gaze.

So he was going to completely ignore me?

My instincts were to storm out but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

He talked to all the women at our table, turning on the charm and making them all giggle and beam. He was a smooth talker, that was for sure. He could easily have seduced any of these women into his bed.

Maybe he already had.

Images of him lost in his orgasm last night filled my mind. I remembered the feel of him inside me, the guttural groans he made as his climax was approaching. He was so sexy in those moments.

And they were clearly never going to happen again.

Paula was giggling about something when she jolted me from my mind. “What do you think, Kenna?”

I shook my head, hoping to erase the images. “I’m sorry, what was that?”

“Prince Nicholas thinks we should all play games this afternoon. Cards and the like, what do you think? Should we indulge this poor prince?” She was alive with the conversation, sparkling in the presence of the prince.

My mind was decided about who he should marry.

If he wanted me to complete our deal, I would tell him.

“I think the prince is very good at playing games,” I replied. “He would probably cheat in all of them. Maybe it isn’t so wise to play with him.”

Paula laughed and so did the other women at our table. Nick’s gaze burned as he watched me. I hoped I’d made my point clear to him, there would be no more playing with me.

Nick stood, re-buttoning his suit jacket. “Well, ladies, it has been a pleasure but I must do the rounds. Enjoy your morning tea.”

I let out a sigh of relief after he’d left. One of the other girls leaned in to the table. “I heard that a lot of women will be cut today so the number of his choices is smaller. This morning tea will be the last event for most of us. Our last chance to impress.”

Perfect.

My way home.

I doubted Prince Nicholas would choose me anyway, but I needed to make extra sure of it. I spotted Devon at the tea station and decided to make my move.

My tea cup was empty anyway so I took it to the station and pretended to peruse the tea selection. We were alone so it only took a moment for her to notice me. “Oh, hello, Kenna. How is your morning?”

“It’s all lovely, thank you. I’m just so worried about things back home that it’s difficult to think of anything else today,” I said sadly, casually enough for her to take the bait.

“Oh, what’s happening back home?”

“My ex-boyfriend is having a hard time letting me go. He’s been hassling my parents about my whereabouts. I’m worried he might hurt them.”

Her eyebrows arched in surprise. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“I was too. They called last night. Caleb thinks he has some claim over me since the pregnancy scare.”

“Pregnancy?”

“Yeah, it happened just before I came here. I thought I was pregnant, but thankfully it was only a false alarm. I made the mistake of telling Caleb about it and he was really excited about the prospect of being a dad.”

“He sounds like a formidable force,” she said.

“He’s definitely got a mouth on him. But it’s his anger I’m worried about.”

“I’m sure the police can step in if needed.”

“I hope so.” I sighed pointedly and chose my flavor of tea.

“I must return,” Devon said, now a little worried herself. “Enjoy the rest of the morning tea.”

My mission was complete. There was no way I was going to be invited to the next palace event now. I would be deemed inappropriate and allowed to return home. I could finally return to the life I’d left behind and missed so dearly.

I would never see Nick again.

Somehow, that thought didn’t seem as good as it once had.

A:N

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